Many people believe shopping addiction is about a mental health issue, something that is then put in the category of needing therapy to get better. Today compulsive shopping addiction pretty much affects us all, as I believe compulsive shopping to be about having status anxiety, caring too much about what others think. People come together to shop, it's a socialable activity rarely considered harmful. Many young people believe shopping can buy you beauty and they deserve to go shopping even when they don’t need to or cannot afford to. I have met many people who admit they shop too much, buying stuff they don’t need, which often does not fit and ends up in the charity shop.
Psychologists call a shopping addiction Compulsive Buying Disorder, which is an impulse-control issue just like gambling or binge eating and has the massive potential to create a whirlwind of financial distress and emotional turmoil, once over and finished.
Here are my top eight shopping addiction signs you need to look out for to discover if you’re shopping is out of control.
1. You have a rush in your stomach which feels compulsive and powerful, often making you feel like you need to go to the toilet.
2. You buy things just for the sake of it, another lipstick and another top, too small, another pair of black leggings.
3. In your closet you have purchases still in the bags with the tags still on, hidden under chaotic piles of clothes.
4. You have a massive feeling of remorse once you have left the store and spent money.
5. You hide your shopping habits from others.
6. You forget what you've ordered online.
7. You feel sad and distressed on days you are unable to shop.
8. You wear the same thing every day.
My advice to learn to overcome these feelings and patterns is as follows;
When you next feel this compulsive urge to shop come on, go for a long walk in the countryside instead. Take with you some good music and a bottle of water. Start to think and begin to feel a buzz from some healthy exercise.
Avoid going anywhere near the temptation of your favourite stores and keep a daily dairy to work out what triggers your desire to participate in a shopping frenzy. Now begin to work on changing the way you think by talking about your feelings with others. You are not alone as the whole world today seems to live to shop.